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Tips to capture exceptional firework photos

The most important thing you can do to take great photos of fireworks is to create a stable platform for your camera.

Use a remote release. Even a stable camera will move slightly when the shutter is released manually.

Frame the shot in advance.

Experiment with car headlights on a distant road, or a plane's blinking lights overhead to develop your technique.

Scope out the location early and point your camera where you think the fireworks will be going off.

Set your shutter speed. A longer exposure is the trick to capturing moving fireworks. Two to 15 seconds should do the trick.

Experimentation and evaluation of results is the best way to become great at capturing fireworks year after year.

Experiment and Track Results Simple adjustments in technique or equipment will quickly change the quality of your fireworks photos.

Shoot Early. Shoot Often. But Definitely Shoot Early. Since you're going to be using a slow shutter, it's not like you're going to rip off hundreds of shots in a 20- or 30-minute fireworks show.

Since you don't get many opportunities, make the early ones count. After a few fireworks, the humid summer night often keeps the smoke hanging in the air, which can, uh, uglify the rest of your shots for the remainder of the show.

Consult The Manual ... Settings. If you're comfortable with shooting manually then definitely go with manual exposure and focus mode

Keep your ISO low, since you'll want to blow one of these pictures up poster-sized and you don't want the noise that comes with 800 ISO or higher.

Remember to charge batteries in advance and bring plenty of memory cards.

Know Your Surroundings. Make sure you know what time the show starts and when the large crowds arrive so you can be there before they get there, and you'll be able to set up in a favorable location. Of course that also requires knowing where exactly the fireworks will shoot from, and where they'll be in the sky in relation to any, say, cityscape backdrop you might be planning on including in your photos.

Have a game plan. Are you going to shoot wide to get as much of the light and cityscape as possible? Or maybe you're going tight to zoom in closely and capture the dramatic color. Whichever you do, be prepared ahead of time. Experienced shooters can do both within the same show, but if you're a novice, hurriedly fiddling around with camera settings in the dark probably isn't your best move.

Get Creative. You're not a rookie? You've been shooting the same show every July the last 10 years and you're looking to do something different? Talk to some people, maybe even your own friends to stage a shot.

Take lots of pictures and be creative. You can sort out the best images afterwards.

Once you have captured the evening's fireworks, share your work with the u local community for all to enjoy.

Hopefully these tips will help you capture the best fireworks images this year. Now, take a moment to enjoy the spectacular firework image shared previously on u local.

Share your images on u local.

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